Self-opening umbrella



Filed July 29, 1958 2 Sheets-$heet 1 INVENIOR KARL ROSENKAIMER MYW ATTORNEY 3.

Jan. 16, 1962 K. ROSENKAIMER SELF-OPENING UMBRELLA 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 29, 1958 INVENTOR KARL ROSENKAIMER ATTORNEYS.

3,016,910 Patented Jan. 16, 1962 3,016,910 SELF-GPENIN G UMBRELLA Karl Rosenhaimer, Leichliugen, Germany, assignor to Rosenkaimer G.m.h.H., Leichliugen, Rhineland, Germany Filed July 29, 1958, Ser. No. 751,723 Claims priority, application Germany Aug. 1, 1957 1 Claim. (Cl. 135-22) This invention relates to an umbrella frame with an automatic opening movement of the rib members resulting from the action of a spring. During this movement, the length of the rib members remains unchanged.

There are umbrella frames which act as normal openers by means of a spring. The stick and the rib mem bers of these frames cannot be shortened. The opening slide which locks in the closing position automatically opens the frame after release of the catch by means of spring action.

There are further known so-called self-opening frames whose stick parts and rib members may be telescoped. These self-opening frames are used for folding umbrellas. In these frames, a locking place of the opening slide is always on the lower stick part, that is, on that part of the stick which bears the grip.

This invention relates to a self-opening umbrella frame in which the length of the rib members remains unchanged and the essential feature of the umbrella frame according to the invention consists of telescoping stick parts and non-telescoping rib members, the locking place for the closed position of the slide being on the upper stick part. The lower stick part may be telescoped into the upper stick part. The slide may comprise a slide with a catch lever or a slide with a slot and a locking spring on the stick member. In this manner there is obtained a selfopening frame with nib members which remain unchanged in length and with a stick which may be shortened. There is thus obtained an umbrella which at will may be used as a normal umbrella whose length corresponds to the length of the rib members. The stick of the umbrella may, however, also be essentially lengthened to obtain a fashionable umbrella with self-opening effect.

With the above and other objects in view that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

Two embodiments of the object of the invention are illustrated by way of example in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically an umbrella according to the invention with a catchslide, one rib member being shown on each side of the stick;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are enlarged front and side views respectively of another form of the invention showing a slide with an opening therein and a locking spring arranged at the outer side of the stick, and

FIG. 4 shows a detail of the locking spring of FIGS. 2 and 3.

In the form of invention shown in FIG. 1, the urnbrella consists of a self-opening frame with an upper stick part 11. and an upper crown 12 to which are pivoted the rib members 13 which retain a constant length. The slide consists of the slide sleeve 14 and of an auxiliary sleeve 15 which may slide in the longitudinal direction on the reduced extension 14a of sleeve 14. The main struts 16 are pivoted to the sleeve 15 and the auxiliary struts 17 are pivotally connected with the main slide sleeve 14 and with the main struts 16 intermediate the ends of the main struts. The self-opening spring 18 is ararnged between the sleeves 14 and 15. The main slide is formed as a catch-slide. The catch lever 19 may engage a notch or slot 20 of the upper stick part 11 for locking the umbrella frame in the closed position, and an upper notch 20a is provided in the part 11 for a purpose to subsequently become apparent. Self-opening of the umbrella is effected by releasing the catch lever 19 whereby the spring 18 urges the sleeve 15 onto the reduced extension 14:: and at which time the rib members are urged to a spread-open condition.

The stick is of tubular construction and is provided with another stick part 21 which may be telescoped into the stick part 11. At that place Where in the telescoped position of the stick part 21 the catch lever 19 would engage the notch or pass through the slot 20, this stick part 21 is provided with a bulged depression 22 which steeply extends towards the side and which gradually diminishes in depth towards the grip end of the stick. The lower stick part is inserted into the tubular stick palt 11 and the depression 22 hereof may be aligned with the slot 22a when the lower part 21 is telescoped into part 11.

Instead of locking the slide by means of a catch lever on the upper stick member, an opening slide may also be used which cooperates in the usual manner with a locking spring arranged in the lower stick, as shown, for example, in the patent to Bowden-Hammond 875,498.

In FIGS. 2 to 4 is shown such an arrangement. The spring 23 is placed on the upper stick part 11. In the resting position, a part of the spring 23 extends into the interior of the stick so that the stick parts 11 and 21 may be telescoped into one another. One end of spring 23 is provided with a plate-like enlargement 24 which has a nose 25 at the end. This nose 25 engages the end of the upper stick member 11 but not deeper than the thickness thereof, whereby spring 23 is secured against displacement in longitudinal direction. There is also employed a covering sleeve 26 which presses the plate-like enlargement 24 against the outside of the upper stick member 11. The spring 23 is provided at the other end with a catch lever or projecting part 2'7 which may enter into the slot 28 of the opening slide 24b. The upper stick part 11 is provided adjacent the upper end of the spring 23 with a slot 29 through which part 27 of the spring may be transitorily passed when the slide 24b is moved downwardly. The part 27 of the spring 23 is secured against displacement in lateral direction since slot 29 of the upper stick part 11 is so narrow that only a radial movement of part 27 is possible. A short extension 27a of part 27 of the spring 23 is hooked below the wall of upper sttick part 11 which at this place is slightly curved towards the outside. The spring is prevented from emerging completely from the stick and the downwardly moving slide abuts the end of the spring. The lower stick part 21 may be telescoped into the upper stick part 11 without being hindered by the spring 23 placed thereon.

In the self-opening frame, the upper locking opening 29a in the vicinity of crown 12 may be dispensed with, since in the opened umbrella, the upper position of the slide is obtained and maintained by the tension of pres sure spring 18.

While there are herein shown and described the preferred embodiments of the invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

In an automatically opening umbrella frame, a tubular upper stick part, an inner stick part telescopically received in said upper stick part, a main slide reciprocable on said upper stick part and including an upper reduced diameter portion, an auxiliary slide reciprocably supported on said reduced diameter portion, spring means interposed between said slides, constant length rib members substantially the same length as said upper stick part and pivoted on said upper stick part, main struts pivotally conneoted between said auxiliary slide and intermediate portions of said rib members, auxiliary struts pivotally connected between said main slide and intermediate portions of said main struts, and catch lever means on said upper stick part detachably engageable with said main slide, said main slide including a longitudinally disposed slot therethrough, said upper stick part including a longitudinal slot therethrough in alignment with said main slide slot, said catch lever means comprising a leaf spring disposed longitudinally of said upper stick part, said leaf spring including a transversely curved portion at one end conforming to and juxtaposed on an outer surface portion on said upper stick part below the longitudinal slot of said upper stick part, a retaining collar circumposed about said upper stick part and overlying said transversely curved spring portion for retaining said spring in position, said leaf spring including a laterally projecting portion overlying said upper stick part and extending laterally therefrom and displaceable into said upper stick slot, said leaf spring including at the other end a longitudinally projecting abutment portion extending into said upper stick slot and engageable on the inner surface thereof adjacent said upper stick slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 521,222 Finkel et a1 June 12, 1894 875,498 Bowden-Harnmond Dec. 31, 1907 FOREIGN PATENTS 698,926 Great Britain Oct. 28, 1953 

